Food preserving can



May 24;. 1927.

E. M. LANG, JR. ,3D

FOOD- PRESERVING CAN Original FiledAug. 23, 1921 JNIZRWTOH EDWARQMLANGJ:

ATTORNE S Reigsued May 24,1927. j a Re. 16 ,629 UNITED STATES'PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD name, an, 80, or ronrnama, mama. roon-rnnsnn'vme can.

' OriginaLlIo. 1,540,408, dated June 2, 1925, Serial No. 494,667, filed August 23, 1921. Application 101' v reissue filed January 15, 1926. Serial No. 81,571.

My invention relates to the food preserverated in the interior of the can, the sealing ing can. commonly known as the sanitary joint will not open but will remain closed can in which the end sealing joints of the although the upright portion of the cover can are formed without solder. In cans of be moved away from its closed position;

this type the body of the can is formed as I accomplish the first of the above stated 60 a cylinder with an outwardly turned can objects by the use of a flexible metallic gas sealing flange at each end. ket' formed of suflicient width to extend well The covers are" 'formed, considering the down into the can and interposed between can as set in a vertical position, with an the can flangeand the cover flange in such 10 upright annular inverted portion fitting a way that it hugs tightly or is hemmed 65 into each end of the can body immediately over the outside surface of the folded-over inside of the can flange. I can flange and the inside surface of the top The cover also has a sealing flange 0011- of the can body extending well .down into necting with said upright portion and the the interior of the can.

joint between the cover and the body of When the joint is thus constructed, the 70 the can is formed by rolling or folding the expanding cover pulls the lower part of the cover flange and the can flange together and upright portion of the cover out Ofposition pressing them against the sides of the can the metallic gasket hugs the upper end of to form what I term an involute joint. the can body and preserves the closeness of In'this joint, the can flange turns over the joint at that point preventing any tend- 75 and extends down parallel with the sides ency to force open the sealing joint when the of the canand the cover flange turns downcan is processed. wardly over the turned-over can flange and I have illustrated my invention by means then extends upward between the latter and of the accompanying drawing in which I the can body. Y show the ordinary sanitary canillustrating The line of the sealing joint thus extends the various steps by which I apply the meupward between the upright ortion of the, tallic gasket and complete the sealingjoint cover and the upper end of the can, thence and otherwise illustrating the common sealover the turned portion of the can flange; 'ing or involute joint and the defect-therein thence downwardly and around the lower which my invention is intended to correct.

edge of the can flange, thence upwardly and Referring to-the drawings:

7 around the extreme edge of the cover flange Figure 1 "is a side" elevation of the can and then downwardly between the cover with a verticalsection through the -cover flange and the body of the can to theopen and with the latter raised somewhat above air. e l the top of the can.

' In the operation of processing, when the Figure 2is a section through one side of cover is expanded. or forced upward at its the cover with the gasket laid in position. central portion by the expansion of the Figure 8 is the same with the cover flange steam within the can, the lower part of the hemmed over-to hold the gasket in place.

vertical annular portion of the cover is Flgure I is a section illustrating the first pulled away from its contact with the can peration of forming the joint. body and the sealing joint above described Figure 5 is thesame showing the comis opened at its inner end. iVhen the inter-. pleted joint. nal pressure is removed and the can is cooled Figure 6 represents the usual involute 45 the end of the can is forced inward but the joint, and open joint having once been formed the Figure 7 represents the joint forced open metal does not return to itsoriginal posion the inside by the upward expansion of tion. It'thus happens that air is very likely the central portion of the cover. to find its way into the interior of the can Figures 8 and 9 show two ways of dou- 50 by reason of this imperfect closing of the bling inwardly both the can flange and the joint. cover flange. In the drawing, similar let- The object of my invention is to soconters of reference indicate similar parts.

struct the can and its sealing joint that In Figures 1 to 5 I have illustrated the when the filled can is put through the opregular sanitary or involute joint by which 5 eration of processing .and pressure is genthe cover may be sealed to the can and the end of the sealing joint. When keep the joint tightly closed.

body, 4 is the upright portion of the same which lies immediately within the can flange, 5 is the cover flange, 7 is the-metal gasket and 6 is the hemmed over edge of the cover flange for confining thegasket in place. In

Figures 6 and 7 I have illustrated the defect in the ordinary involute joint that my in vention is designed to overcome. It will be seen that when the joint is complete, the upright portion 4 of the cover hugs closely the upper edge of the can body just inside of the can flange and this space between the:

portion 4 and the can constitutes the inner the center of the cover expands by the pressure from within, the upright portion 4 pulls away from the can'body and end of the sealing joint.

According to the method I am illustrating herein for forming the joint, the circular gasket 7 is first placed beneath the cover flange and the outer edge of the flange is then hemmed down over the gasket so that the same is held firmly in place. The cover and the gasket may now-be handled as a single article preliminary to the canning o eration, .the gasket remaining securely in place.

plied, the involute joint is rolled or formed with the gasket interposed between the can flange and the cover flange, the same as if no gasket was used, the flanges taking the same relative position as they would take without the gasket. In Figure 4 is illustrated the first step in the operation of forming the joint where the periphery of the cover flange is turned downwardly and inwardly. Figure 5 illustrates the completed joint with the metal gasket in place., It will be seen that the gasket after the joint is formed fits over the outside of the can flange and extends well down into the can between portion 4 and the upper end of the can. It is thus in position to hug the edge of the can and when the portion 4 pulls away it will lVhile it is true that paper gaskets have been used in these joints, they do notextend down inside the can as does mine, and if they did, they would not perform the function of hugging the upper edge of the can thus keeping the joint closed.

The gasket is preferably made of relatively thin metal which has a considerable should be well anspring but should have amount of flexibility. It nealed and without opens up the inner closed end or loop and not in When the can is filled and the cover ap' edge of the cover flange as suflicient stiifness to hold firmly when once is folded back upon itself to 'form the gasket.

- In both these instances, the gasket occupies exactly the same position with regard to the can flange and cover flange as in Figure 5, except'that in one case-it is a continuation of the cover flange, and in the other a continuation of the can flange, and the effect of the gasket in the matter of preventing the opening of the sealing joint is substantially the same. In the modification shown in Figure 9 there is a further and different' efl'ect besides preventing the uprightportion of the cover from moving away from the can body. If an opening is formed between the upright portion of the cover and the inner edge of the gasket the joint formed between the gasket which forms a portion of the cover flange and the adjacent portion of said cover flange outwardly will be found to terminate in a the open air so that the danger of forming a :leaky joint will be greatly reduced. When paper gaskets are used in the ordinary way they are not of much benefit but if the outer edge of the paper gasket is gripped by the hemmed over shown in Figure 3 it is much more etl'ieient and very often used with good efi'ects.

if traced upwardly and Having thus described myinvention, what I I claim 152- 1. A foodpreserving can having an out wa-rdly turned flange at one end and a cover for said can having an upright portion immediately inside of said can body and having a cover sealing flange connected with said upright portion and a relatively rigid metal gasket interposed between said can flange and coyer flange, the said can flange, metal gasket and cover flange being rolled or folded together to form an involute sealing 'oint,

and eover flange, the said can flange, metal gasket and cover flange being rolled or folded together to form an involute sealing joint,.said gasket gripping the can between said upright portion and the side of the can to prevent the opening of the sealing joint, sai gasket being integral with the cover and forming a continuation of the cover' flange.

3. A container cover having its peripheral portion folded upon itself to form a gasket.

4:. A container cover provided with an underlying ring shaped gasket having its outer edge joined to the coverto form a marginal continuation thereof.

5. A metal container cover provided with I a flange and a metal gasket united to and forming a reversely extending continuation of said flange.

'6. A container comprising a body provided with a sealing flange, a cover provided with a sealing flange folded inwardly upon itself to form a gasket, said body flange, cover flange and gasket being rolled or foldedtogether to form an involutejoint, said gasket being wide enough to grip the body flange to prevent the opening of the sealing joint. a a

7., A container comprising a body provided with a sealing flange, a cover provided with a sealing flange,one of said flanges being folded upon itself to form a gasket, said flanges and gasket being rolled 0r folde together to form a sealing joint. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand EDWARD M. LANG, JR., 3; 

